The Evening Wind
by Wolfishbag
Summary: <html><head></head>Long before Sozin's comet there was an air bender who was never meant to survive birth, only the spirit who took pity on his mother is keeping him alive. However Yorafu's destiny consists of more than his life at the Western Air Temple where he became the master he is because who else will fill the vacant position of Air Bender on Team Avatar and help Korra save the world. KorraxOc</html>
1. Chapter 1

**Book One: Beginnings**

Chapter One: Birth

_Thousands of years before Sozin's comet and thousands after the time of Avatar Wan the world was at peace. The Four Nations lived together in a perfect balance under the watchful eye of the Avatar. The Air Nomads meditated in their temples. The Water Tribes emphasized their culture. The Earth Kingdom was flourishing. And the Fire Nation maintained a balance of peace and competition. However we turn our gaze not to the Avatar, a masterful monk of the Eastern air temple, but an individual known as Mayi. A guru of the Western Air Temple_

_**Western Air Temple**_

"How is she?" Guru Mayi asked as the nurse came out of the birthing chamber. The nurse simply shook her head in dismay.

"Not well, even with the healers from the Water Tribe, we aren't able to do anything," the nurse said somberly.

"And the child?" Mayi asked as her face fell.

"The child might survive, spirits help us," the nurse replied as she opened the flap for Guru Mayi to enter. In the chamber Mayi came to the bedside of her best friend, and took hold of her hand in a strong rip.

"Mayi…will he live?" the woman asked as she weakly looked up at her friend.

"He may, you just have to be strong for a little longer," Mayi replied before looking at the nurses who darted back to bringing in fresh water and towels. Miya placed her hands together and chanted an old prayer to the spirits of the old, one in particular

"Ma'am…that prayer…" the nurse said as she slowed in her work. That particular prayer was reputed for never working, it was rumored that the spirit of that certain prayer was destroyed long ago. May ignord the nurse as she continued to chant.

"Mayi….listen…" the woman said raising her hand to the Guru's face.

"What is it?" Mayi asked as she placed a hand on her friend's.

"His name…it should be Yorafu...please," the young woman requested as her hand fell limp from Mayi's face.

'Evening wind…'

"I understand, just hold on Reena," Mayi said as she looked over her shoulder "Healer!"

_**Later**_

Guru Mayi sat in her meditative pose, she was no help in the birthing chamber so she simply waited in the praying chambers. Her eyes snapped open at the sound of steps and she stood quickly her robes dancing around in anxiety from her air bending as the nurses approached her, one carrying a bundle in her arms.

"Is this...?" she asked, the nurse nodded as she offered the child to Mayi who accepted him gently.

"The healers said he was born without any faults…perhaps your prayers truly did save him," the nurse suggested. Mayi didn't listen to the young girl as she noticed something odd.

"Is he…glowing?" Mayi wondered as she observed the golden aura

"Younglings…send word to the high priest that I need some assistance," the girls were startled by the weight of the statement before one asked,

"About what Mayi?" the young woman asked.

"Tell them to summon the Avatar from the Eastern air temple," several girls gasped. It was true that Guru Mayi held enough weight with the priests to request such a meeting but…

"Yes ma'am," the lead nurse said before leaving, followed by the others.

"Oh spirits…what have I done to you…Yorafu?" Mayi said in grief as the child snored softy unaware of the great destiny that awaited him.

_**Months Later**_

"Avatar Yota, thank you for coming," Guru Mayi said as the elderly Monk bowed in return before walking through the Western Air Temple.

"Guru Mayi a pleasure, now what is the problem with the child? Trouble with the spirits?" the Avatar asked as he walked with her.

"Not exactly…" she said, looking off to the side.

"Well," he said chuckling, "I can see no other reason you would need my help."

"It's complicated but when the mother was giving birth to him I was desperate and spoke the words of an ancient spirit, I fear I have cursed him, he does not cry, he doesn't wake from his slumber," Mayi said worriedly, the Avatar simply stroked his beard in thought.

"Take me to him," he requested and Mayi complied, guiding him to the child's chamber.

"He is still asleep," the Guru said softly as she picked the boy up from his crib and handed him gently to the Avatar.

"I see..." he muttered as he held his hand over the child in, causing the gold glow to brighten greatly before dimming again. "Your prayer seems to have drawn on the ancient dead spirit, long lost even before the time of the Avatar…"

"What does that mean? Will he be all right?" Mayi asked with slight fear.

"The spirit…was reborn into his body, he and the spirit are now one entity the same way the Avatar is an entity of spirit and man," the old Avatar explained, his eyes turned bright white as he entered the Avatar State, tapping into the child's inner spirit. Mayi remained silent in awe as she witnessed the exchange of raw power between the two before he lights of white and gold faded and the child woke up and cried.

"What…what did you do?" Mayi asked in astonishment as she rocked the child gently to lull it back to sleep.

"I'm…not sure," the Avatar said as he swayed on his feet after giving the child back to Mayi. "My inner spirit responded to his and I did something…instinctively."

"I-I see," Mayi said as Yorafu calmed before looking around at the two. "Is there anything I can do?"

"No…simply raise the boy," the monk said as he steadied his stance and his head cleared. "As if he were your own."

"That was my intention," Mayi replied, "His mother…she was my best friend."

"This boy will be different, he should have died but the spirits saved him for a special purpose and sent me to help you it seems," Avatar Yota said as he turned away but stumbled in his step, at the same time Yorafu began to cry.

"Yota, are you okay?" Mayi asked as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I am getting old…the next time I see this child will probably be when he is the older one, but I will try to visit him one more time before I pass," the Avatar said chuckling. "Farewell Mayi, spirits guide you." The man bowed, putting his open palm and fist together.

"You as well," she said, bowing in return. Unfortunately the Avatar would not see the boy for many years for he was reborn but a few months later in the Northern Water Tribe as a young, baby girl.

_**Seven Years Later**_

"Yorafu maybe you should try air bending like that in the shower!" one of the boys watching said as Yorafu fell over after losing his balance. Several monks watching looked at each other before shaking their heads.

"Mayi, you waste your efforts on the boy," one of the monks said, "You could be teaching some of our brightest, stop letting your past friendship cloud your vision and start teaching someone with more potential."

"Your view of potential is lot different from mine, I see more possibilities in Yorafu than any other boy in this temple," Mayi replied defiantly.

"He is not meant to be an air bender, he fails at any technique you try to teach him!" another monk said.

"Hey Yorafu," another bald boy said with his friends, in their apprentice robes, "I think they're talking about how bad you are." The boys all laughed making Yorafu's face twist in anger as he glared at the boys.

"Shutup Mootcha!" he yelled at them, "I could probably air bend better than you!"

"Yorafu can't airbend, Yorafu can't airbend!" they chanted, causing the younger air bender to bolt for Mootcha, tackling him the ground before punching the boy over and over making the other boys retreat into a circle around them.

"See Mayi? He is prone to violence and is easily agitated, Yorafu wasn't meant to be one of our people," the monk to her right said. Mayi sighed as she stood from beneath the shade and approached the fight, the young children parting way for her.

"Enough," she stated, the boy's instantly untangled themselves and stood, Mootcha had a bleeding nose and a black eye.

"Yorafu…come with me," Mayi instructed as she walked away, Mootcha stuck his tongue out at Yorafu who glared back. In the hall Mayi said nothing, making Yorafu uncomfortable.

"Okay okay I'm sorry," the boy said as he stopped, kicking the dust off the stone floor.

"Sorry? About what?" she asked, raising an eyebrow quizzically as she looked at him.

"For…attacking Mootcha," he mumbled before being surprised by his mentor's laughter.

"Yorafu, I am not mad about you getting back at Mootcha he was a bully," she said before kneeling in front of him and wiping the dirt from his air bending robe.

"Really?" he asked, slightly relieved.

"I'm mad because you did it in the wrong way," she said mischievously drawing a puzzled look from the boy.

_**Later**_

Mootcha's face grew red as he walked through court yard while the other boys laughed at his hysterical position. His eyebrows had been dyed pink along with the small hair on his scalp. From the balcony above Mayi and Yorafu laughed as the boy complained to his mentor who could not seem to remove the dye with any of his ointments.

"I must say Yorafu, the way you snuck that dye into his soap at the last moment was pure genius," the Guru said as she chuckled.

"You gave me the idea with that prank you pulled with the pies the other week," Yorafu replied as his laughter continued.

"Learn this lesson well my pupil," Mayi said as she turned to Yorafu, "A bother should be rid of, but in a way where everyone can walk away safely."

"Thank you master," the boy said as he bowed and was bowed to in return.

_**Two Years later**_

"Is today the day?" Yorafu said excitedly as he bounced up and down.

"Yes Yorafu today is the day," Mayi said with a smile.

"Yes!" he cheered air bending five feet up before landing again.

"Yorafu don't forget, having a sky bison is an important responsibility," she said, "I will watch from the stairs while you and the other children speak to Ouma the shepard." Yorafu nodded before bolting away and got into the group with the other kids.

"Now children don't forget a sky bison is a companion for life," she said as she bended an apple to each one of them, "Choose wisely." A mother sky bison flew over from one of the hanging towers of the Western Air Temple before landing with her children. Yorafu approached one bison with his offering held out but it shrugged away from him, choosing another apprentice instead. Frowning he turned to another pair, holding the apple out again and slowly walked toward them. They also flew away to other kids.

"Well this is hard," he muttered as he jealously watched the other kids begin to hug their new bison. One remained from the herd, a small one which looked at him then turned back towards its mother.

"Oh no you don't!" he yelled as he charged the bison, apple in hand, the baby simply turned and slammed its tail into ground, creating a blast of wind that knocked Yorafu off his feet and his apple onto the ground. The baby bison snatched the apple up in its mouth before flying away.

"Hey!" he said in protest, the bison only rumbling in laughter before flying back to the stable.

"Yorafu it's alright, there will be another group tomorrow, I'm sure you'll find the right one then," Mayi said as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"She is right Yorafu, the herd has plenty of young left, you can try again with the next group," Ouma said. Yorafu huffed before nodding at the reassurance.

_**One Week Later**_

"Was that the last group?" Mayi asked. Ouma nodded.

"I'm afraid so, I'm sorry Yorafu," Ouma said before walking away. Yorafu stormed to his room in disappointment, sitting at the window he noticed kids in the yards showing their bison to each other, even attempting first flights.

"If they won't give me a bison, I'll get one myself!" he said stubbornly as he stood and took hold of his glider before leaving his room.

_**That night**_

Yorafu snuck through the dorm hallway out into the courtyard where he ran to the edge to get a good angle on the stable before taking off with his glider. He had an apple from dinner and he was determined to use it to get his own bison. Landing silently at the stables he walked stealthily through the pens containing sleeping bison. He approached the baby pen and treaded softly, placing his staff on the ground so he could enter silently. Right before he stepped inside he heard massive steps and the sound of snapping twigs.

"Uh oh," he muttered as he peaked behind him, a very angry looking mother bison kicking the dirt and wood that used to be his staff as if ready to stamped him. Before he could try to say anything the great beast charged and he barely avoided the impact by flipping over it with the help of some air. The bison turned around and grabbed him by the back of the shirt before taking a struggling Yorafu to the edge of the stables.

"No no no no no no!" he looked for his glider which he now remembered was a pile of twigs. Yorafu felt the grip on his shirt disappear and he fell through the air the sight of his home growing smaller and smaller as he reached the bottom of the cliff, screaming the whole way.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Evening Wind**

**Chapter Two**

**I don't own Korra, ahah**

Yorafu groaned in pain as he opened his eyes to see the Western Air Temple high above him while he sat at the bottom of the cliff. The last thing he remembered was air bending the air beneath him to cushion his fall before his face met the ground rather painfully. Yorafu stood up and looked around trying to remember the path to the temple from here. explosions and sounds of rocks smashing against each other interrupted his thoughts.

"Take it down!" a man's voice yelled. A loud roar was the reply as more fire sounds came from that direction. Yorafu crouched low and snuck past the rocks to see a battle between several fire benders and a large black dragon.

"I'll make a bag out of your hide!" a woman yelled as she bended the flames away from her body as the dragon roared at her. Yorafu could only watch in shock as the fire benders, three of them it seemed, battled the beast.

'Why doesn't it just fly away…' Yorafu wondered as the beast took flame after flame from the benders before he noticed something. Behind the dragon was a small spot it took care not to step on, a nest with a large golden egg in the middle.

"Whoa…" he muttered, the dragon took injuries to its side before stomping the ground and breathing a wall of blue flames at the poachers, burning two of them.

"Gah! Stupid beast!" the man yelled as he held his arm. The dragon replied by swiping him away and the other benders ran to retrieve their friend before running. The black reptile stumbled back to its nest before collapsing, its long neck circled around the nest. Yorafu gulped before standing, taking slow, gentle steps to the dragon. The beast's eyes snapped open and it raised its head roar loudly before collapsing again.

"You must be pretty hurt huh?" he said as he knelt in front of the creature's head, petting its snout. The dragon rumbled weakly as its eyes began to droop but not in exhaustion as the burns on its side took their toll. The dragon raised its head one last time to push the gold egg to Yorafu with its nose.

_Take care of my own…_ the dragon said with its final gaze before its head fell once more, this time for good. Yorafu felt tears come to his eyes as he laid a hand on the dragon, whispering a prayer Mayi taught him to speak for all slain beings on nature. His gaze shifted to the egg with sat at the bottom of the nest

"It's not a bison but…" he said as he picked the egg up. "You'll do."

_**Later**_

"Mayi you're not taking him seriously about this are you?" Yorafu sat before the different monks and Mayi who were all discussing the egg that rested in his arms.

"If Yorafu wants to care for the dragon youngling, he is permitted to do so," Mayi replied, pulling a grin from Yorafu, "If he takes care of it."

"Don't be ridiculous, we are air benders not fire benders, he should find a bison to be his companion," another monk said forcefully.

"There aren't any bison willing to bond with him" Ouma said on Mayi's left, "But I agree with you, we can't have a dragon in the temple it'll upset the bison!"

"I have no problems with it, as long as he ensures the dragon doesn't disrupt activities at the temple," a monk on Mayi's right said as he sipped tea.

"We are a people of freedom and spiritual enlightenment," an older monk said, "He has the right to have a dragon as much as he has a right to grow his hair or even leave the temple."

"It's decided than, Yorafu may keep the dragon and raise here in the temple," Mayi declared.

"Yes!" came Yorafu's reply as he pumped his fist into the air.

_**One Month Later**_

The egg hatched about a week after he found it, a small black dragon like its mother (or father he couldn't tell). After several days of burns, scratches, and complaints from neighbors the little creature finally calmed down and settled into its new life. Yorafu named the little dragon, Ryuu. He couldn't tell if it was a boy or girl and spent hours trying to determine that.

"Hm…" Yorafu muttered as the dragon, still very small as it sat in his lap, slept softly.

"Yorafu? What troubles you?" Mayi asked as she entered his room.

"I can't tell whether Ryuu's a boy or a girl," he replied as he rubbed its scales, causing her to wake and growl at him to stop. Mayi laughed at his disgruntled look as the young reptile nuzzles its own neck again as if undoing his petting.

"It's definitely a girl," Mayi noted as she knelt in front of him.

"How do you know that?" Yorafu asked in astonishment.

"Can't you see? She's tending to her scales as a young girl tends to her hair," she replied and Yorafu looked down to see the dragon admiring her shiny scales before resting again. Yorafu thanked Mayi before taking Ryuu outside for some air on his shoulder only to see other kids with their bison in the courtyard. Most were simply feeding or lying down with their bison but a few were taking flights around the temple tower.

"Hey Yorafu, did you get a bison yet?" one of the others asked, a girl with neat brown hair that fell to her shoulders.

"Hey Senna," he replied meekly, "No I'm not getting a bison, none of them liked me so…" he shrugged.

"Oh…well want to ride on mine? He's a sweet boy," she offered as she called her bison over.

"I don't think it'll go well-" the bison landed aggressively in front of him, tracking its feet against the ground threateningly. Ryuu on his shoulder jumped to the ground, snapping at the air in response.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, I don't know why he did that," she apologized as she pulled her bison back behind her. Yorafu picked Ryuu up and placed her back on his shoulder, the dragon still glaring at the bison.

"So is that your dragon?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah her name is-"

"Senna! We're gonna have a race in a sec get over here!" one of the others called as he waved his arm, "And don't bring that loser with you!"

"Coming!" she called back, "Don't listen to Mootcha he's an idiot," she whispered before running to join her friends.

_**Six Months Later**_

"Yorafu, you must be careful on your first flight, no one here knows how to fly a dragon so stay safe," Mayi said, the other people with their bison in the courtyard noticed Ryuu, now large enough to hold Yorafu on her long neck asaid air bender walking to the edge of the courtyard.

"Alright Mayi, wish me luck," he mounted Ryuu's black scales and the beast adjusted to the new weight before unfurling its wings. Mootcha, Senna, and the other kids gasped in awe as the dragon's wingspan billowed in the wind before she leaped off the side.

_**Seven Years Later**_

The same crowd in the same position gasped in awe once again as the fully grown Ryuu roared as it flew up to catch her master, who had dove off the temple balcony high above them. A young man grasped the saddle on the dragon's neck before reseating himself on her back, grinning as he flew his companion way past the flying bison with a burst of speed. Years of growth and training had turned the pair into the fastest, strongest, and wisest of the their temple counter parts. No bison could out speed Ryuu in the air and no other air bender apprentice in the temple could match Yorafu in either spiritual matters or air bending. The sixteen year old was now a master of all air bending techniques and could enter the spirit world, Ryuu's strength as a dragon now matched the one Yorafu had seen in the canyon years ago.

Indeed they had grown up Mayi observed as Yorafu landed in front of her, smiling crazily after his flight. No longer keeping his head shaved, Yorafu had a decent length of dark black hair and messy travelling garb from journeys into the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom. The girls found this, as the monks described him, "rebel" to be the coolest guy around. As of now he was the only younger air nomad who could communicate with spirits.

"How was that?" he asked Mayi, who was now only a bit taller than him.

"You are ready," she said, smiling at him.

"Ready? For what?"

_**That Night**_

"Tonight we grant our newest air bending master and spiritually guided nomad, his entry as one of the masters of our temple," Mayi declared, Yorafu knelt in front of the others as apprentices bended the incense around the room.

"Yorafu has demonstrated the prize philosophy of our people, and success in keeping to that philosophy," she stated as she pulled the robe from his upper half, exposing his now shaven head and new tattoos, "Freedom, to learn his own way, to live his own way." The crowd all bowed to him as did the monks and he did so in return before turning around and hugging his old teacher. Mayi returned the gesture to her student as a tear leaked from her eye.

"Come Yorafu, there is something I must tell you."

_**Later**_

Mayi and Yorafu sat across from one another, meditating in the empty chamber with tiles decorating the walls, depicting images of spirits and monks. Ryuu no longer lived in the temple due to her massive size so she either spent her time in the courtyard or went out hunting which she was doing currently.

"Yorafu, I need to tell you…about your mother," she said with a pained expression.

"My mother?" he replied, slightly confused. "I thought you told me everything about my parents."

"Well…now that you're a master there is something I'm permitted to tell you," Mayi explained how Yorafu was meant to die at birth, being saved only by the spirit dwelling within him and the Avatar's words and actions when he was a baby.

"I…was supposed to die?" he said in shock, running his hands over the arrow on his head.

"No, Yorafu you were saved by the spirits for a reason, you have a greater destiny than simply being a master of our temple," she said.

"What reason?" he asked.

"I don't know…" she replied, "The Avatar died before I could ask him anything else or for anymore help."

"Then I can talk to the Avatar now right? I can ask him?" he said hopefully.

"No…she's just a young girl learning fire bending right now, she knows nothing of spiritual matters, I only told you this because you were old enough to know," Mayi replied. Yorafu's shoulders fell, he had no way to find the answer, even the spiritual master couldn't tell him what he wanted to know and the Avatar wouldn't be of any help either. A knock from the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Come in," Mayi said as she stood, a young boy handed her a letter before bowing and exiting.

"I see…" she muttered as she read the letter carefully.

"What is it?" Yorafu asked.

"It seems the Fire Sages have requested that I teach the Avatar air bending."

_** art/Waterbender-OC-Makki-301082876 this design is the one that inspired the Avatar of this time period, it says it's a guy but it looks like a girl to me. I don't own the image nor am I using it I just picture her this way in my head.**_

_**Two Months Later**_

"Hello Air Temple!" Mika said as she jumped off the bison that picked her up, her water tribe garb still messy from the intense air travel.

"Welcome young Avatar," a monk said, bowing to the girl. "Guru Mayi is this way, she's ready to meet you." The nomads watched as the girl walked through the courtyard with her things, in awe of the beautiful temple around her.

"Wow…this place is-" a loud roar broke her train of thought as she turned to see a dragon and several bison flying in a race, and it appeared that the original fire bender was beating the original air bender in the battle of speed.

"What's a dragon doing here?" she wondered, the escorts could only roll their eyes in response as the more…exuberant of their temple rode his companion in the sky.

"This way," the acolyte said pulling the Avatar's attention away from the dragon. Inside Mayi greeted her in the central chamber where several other monks also awaited her.

"Avatar Mika, welcome to the Western Air Temple," Mayi said, "I, Guru Mayi, and all the other masters of the…temple…where is Yorafu?" she asked, noticing his absence.

"He was outside, racing the other apprentices," the acolyte replied. Several monks sighed angrily, though a few laughed as well.

"Being the only young master has its perks as well as its downfalls doesn't it?" a monk joked.

"Please go retrieve him as soon as you are able," Guru Mayi replied, sighing loudly. The acolyte bowed and ran from the room.

"Avatar Mika, starting today you will be learning air bending from me, my name is Guru Mayi," she said, bowing to her.

"Thank you so much, I can't wait to get started!" Mika said as she bowed in return.

_**Later**_

"Can we take a break?" the same voice asked, now exhausted and irritated. Mayi frowned as the young water bender stood, after being bended off her feet by several young apprentices. Mika sat up and looked around the courtyard they were in, there were kids eating fruit pies, monks meditating, bison flying around-

"It seems so…peaceful," she said. A distance away several teenagers her age were sparring and one stood out. He wore out of place clothing and had hair along with his tattoos. The other boys proposed that he face them all at the same time and he agreed.

"Show them what you got Yorafu!" a friend of his yelled. The young master breathed as he balanced himself on his right foot, holding a hand in either direction as he breathed deeply. Tapping into his bending his eyes snapped open, evading every gust of air that the others threw at him before spinning his leg around him, knocking them all off their feet with ease.

"Still the master huh?" one of the boys teased as he stood and bowed to Yorafu in respect as did the others.

"You know it Mootcha, you're welcome to try again though, I could use the exercise-" someone took hold of his hand and he turned to see a dark skinned girl looking up at him in excitement.

"You have to teach me!" she requested, her facing brimming with excitement.

"You're…" he recognized the girl walking with Mayi earlier, she must be the Avatar…

"Teach you what?" he asked, wincing slightly as the grip on his hand tightened. "Mayi help me here," he begged as he looked over the girl's shoulder at his teacher.

"I don't know Yorafu, maybe you should teach her instead, I'm getting old after all…" she said in teasing thought as she held her chin.

"You're amazing, you beat all of them by yourself and the way you flew with that dragon was awesome!" several of the monks watching grew irritated, others simply laughed at the situation. The air bender, who neither acted or looked like one, was not only their greatest master but also the teacher to the Avatar.


End file.
